The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Warriors, NFL, NCAAFB

Episode Date: October 19, 2022

The issues the Warriors will face going forward Offensive lines in the NFL are really bad right now Thoughts on USC losing to Utah and Alabama losing to Tennessee   Guest: Joel KlattSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Here we go. It's our two. Joel Clatt in 30 minutes on this Wednesday. It's the herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1. Tyler Dunn, great journalist, Packers, last hour. Joel Clat, we're moving in bottom of the hour. He's got stuff to do on campus today. And J. Mack is joining us.

So I was really fired up last night. I think the NBA. baseball's got like a bottom 12 teams that can't compete at all. I think there's 16 viable, 16 or 17 kind of viable, at least playing game teams. We saw the best team in the league last night. Also, I watched the Little Celtic Sixers. Both will be playoff teams. High-end playoff.

Do you see any of that game? James Hardin looked very good. I was surprised. Slim down James Hardin. But wake me in May when James Hardin usually melts down. We'll see what happens in the playoffs. So let's start with this. You know, the Warriors are the best team in the league.

As I said, to start last hour, there's nothing I don't like. Their two big issues are. I mean, they're going to pay potentially a $500 million tax bill. They're over the cap. They're all in as a franchise. And this is what it looks like. Age, wisdom, length, stars, twitchy, multiple, versatile players. They can play a multiple styles of basketball.

They can go really small, put in size now with Wiseman. So the only two issues they have from repeating are, number one, the Draymond Green Jordan Pool relationship. And B, how do you work in all these young players to get them real minutes and real games? Because it's hard, right? They have 9, 10 legitimate players in the rotation. But I would say this again. Does everybody understand not all pro athletes, even on championship teams get along? There's a great book out there I read it this summer called Three Rings by Jeff Perlman.

It details the Kobe Shack Phil Jackson teams that won three titles should have won four had they not gotten hurt. The book is unbelievable. The tension and the egos are palpable for years. And yet Phil Jackson, the master psychologist, guided the very immature Kobe at the time and the very fun-loving and goofy and sometimes distracted Shaq to three titles. There were egos and moving parts. Jerry West, the buses, it was just a bunch of moving parts. The book, as you read it, Kobe either wanted to initiate a fight, be in a fight, the whole thing was half the team wanted to go after Kobe.

He was young, he was talented, he wouldn't listen, he was hard to coach, he was gifted, he was all those things superstars can be. and yet Phil Jackson guided them through it. Well, where did Steve Kerr learned to be a master psychologist in Chicago under Phil Jackson? By the way, go back and look at the Rodman, Pippen, Horace Grant, Michael Jordan Bulls. Not everybody got along. So do I believe this incident will stop them from? from winning a title. No. Steve Kerr is simply being asked as a brilliant coach to overcome an

incident. Phil Jackson overcame for several years a hostile work environment. And there were dozens of issues. Every road trip, Kobe and Shaq had issues. Players couldn't, there were microaggressions. It's an incredible book, incredible insight. And after you read it, you'll have so much respect for Phil Jackson. We saw in the documentary how he guided. I mean, think about the Bulls. The owner, the GM, Jerry Krause, the players didn't like him. You had Goofy Rodman and then Phil Jackson guided you through it.

And then Kobe and Shaq and Phil Jackson guide you through the river. All you're asking Steve Kerr to do here is kind of guide you through an incident. And you don't have the egos like the Lakers did because Steph Curry makes everything easy in the Bay Area. Like he's kind of a self-clay Thompson doesn't have a big ego. Kvon Luni doesn't have a big ego. Andrew Wiggins doesn't have a big ego. I mean, if you talk to people inside the Warriors, Jordan Pools the trash talker on the team. Like he's the trash talker.

He's a reserve. So maybe one of the reasons Draymond went after him. But now, what's Draymond's future? I don't know. I mean, at some point, the owner's like my tax bill is $500 million. I live in California where the state's already taken half my money. So I could get the owner just saying, I don't want to extend this thing. I don't want to pay this.

And they have these rising young stars. But this idea that this brief disharmony will upend everything, I don't buy it. I think Steve Kerr is smart. It's an incident. It's not a hostile daily work environment. And I've seen you go back and watch documentaries on the Bulls. You read that Jeff Perlman book on the Lakers. that was a weekly, annual, daily road trip from hell that you had a really smart guy,

the Zen Master guiding you through it. This was a punch. It was unfortunate. But Steve Kerr's first reaction to it. Do you remember what his first reaction to it was? How did the video get out? His first reaction was, Draymon needs to be out of here. It was, how did the video get out, saying, we can have.

handle it. So I don't know if you know this, but it has certainly been talked about ad nauseum on social media. A lot of NFL ugly games this year. Scoring's down, big plays are down. So Troy Vincent, you know, head of football ops for the NFL, we're all complaining about, you know, the quarterbacks, you can't touch them, you can't hit them. These calls are ridiculous. They're affecting outcomes, which I think is true. in a couple cases. Here's Troy Vincent. Everyone knows if your quarterback's not healthy, you don't have a chance to win.

Hey, we're not changing the philosophy around that, around that call, but we're not going to back off of protecting the quarterback. So there are two stats that are very interesting. So if you go the last three years, scoring is down a touchdown per game from two years ago. So two years ago, the teams, average 50, 51 points, the two teams in the NFL. You know, 26, 24.

Now the average is 43. So it's like a touchdown and a half less in two years. That's big. That's stark. That's whoa. And the second thing that's down significantly, I'll show this graphic, sorry to the radio audience, big plays are way, way down. So, you know, 20 plus yard touchdowns.

Last year, there was 121 at this time. Now you're down to 93. So that's something. So the question becomes what is happening. Is it because quarterbacks are all hurt? No. Right now, Miami, New England, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Denver got a banged-up quarterback. That's just five teams.

I have a lot of theories on why the scoring's down and why the game is uglier. One of them is this. it's a small one maybe, but I think defenses have adjusted to Mahomes and Burrow and Allen, where a lot of defenses now are like, listen, you can grind it out. We're not giving up the big play. I mean, that's like a constant theme every week if you watch the games. Teams are like, all right, 13 play drives. We are not letting you go over the top of us.

That's part of it. Defense gets a right to make adjustments to. The second thing, and I think this is a big factor, is that the CBA years ago, offensive linemen don't wear pads in the offseason don't hit, and starters on the offensive line don't play in the preseason. Well, the one unit on a football team that needs work and cohesion is the offensive line. Offensive line play has regressed badly in the last five years.

I mean, Denver Chargers the other night was a disaster. Six or seven sacks, ten or twelve hits, seven or eight holding calls, a disaster. So O-line play in this league is a mess, And a lot of it is because the new collective bargaining signed years ago, and it's steadily gotten worse every year is they don't hit, they don't practice, they don't play in the preseason. And you're seeing a lot of these soft tissue issues with the big uglies up front. I mean, the Denver Broncos left tackle, best player on their offensive line, out for the year.

The best center in the NFL arguably chargers out. Their left tackle, out for the year. You got back, the Rams have lost all but one starter. And they're like not alone. So that's a big part of it. But there's something else out there that I think is real and it's a cultural change. Years and years ago, 10, 15, 20 years ago, it was sort of understood that you would draft a quarterback. And even if he was talented, unless he was maybe a Marino or an Elway, he didn't have to play immediately.

So what is happening now is when you, the league is so quarterback-centric. It's so quarterback-centric that you got to have a quarterback to win in this league anymore. You can't win because you have Derek Henry. can't win with a great defense. There's one way to win, star quarterback. So teams are drafting more quarterbacks high. They're overdrafting. And they're playing them immediately.

And if he doesn't work in two years, they're off to another one. Eli Manning got four years. He had O line. He had a defense. He had a run game. It doesn't work that way anymore. Like so the league is so quarterback. There's always a duality to everything.

Right? There's more great quarterbacks than. never, but we're giving them less time. We're making them play early. Prime example, Mac Jones, one year starts in college. Start in the NFL. Got rid of camp. Go.

Davis Mills never started a full season at Stanford. Go, it's your team. Justin Fields got one full big time year of starting in college. Go in Chicago. In fact, when they considered not starting Justin Fields, the media mocked the bears. Justin Fields was not ready last year to play in the NFL. he wasn't ready. I don't think with this offensive line, he's still not ready.

So what is happening is as the, this happens all the time. When the NBA became, because of analytics, very three-centric, what happened, back to the basket centers like Dwight Howard became completely dispensable. Dwight Howard's career is ascending, ascending, ascending, ascending, ascending down a cliff. Baseball now. You can strike out. Nobody cares.

Just have home run hitters. What does it mean? There's more strikeouts. There's fewer base runners. Attendance and ratings have gone down. There's less activity in baseball. The NFL changed its rules due to safety to be more quarterback friendly and more quarterback-centric. You can't win running the ball.

Can't win just with defense. You've got to have an elite quarterback. And teams now are reaching on quarterbacks that aren't really as good as their draft pick. They're asking them to play immediately. And some guys like Kenny Pickett should. Kenny Pickett started for four years in college in the same stadium. He should play. There are quarterbacks I have lobbied.

Go play him. Kenny Pickett's a prime example. You got a good defense, a veteran coach, you played in the same stadium for four years. Kenny Pickett should come in and play. But you've got these Davis Mills, these Mack Jones, the Justin Fields. And it's like people are overdrafting quarterbacks, playing them early, guilted into not playing them. I mean, even Patrick Mahomes, we've,

forget the well-run chiefs sat him for a year. Aaron Rogers, well-run Packers, sat him for three years. Belichick didn't start Brady right out of the shoot, but the culture is changing now. There's just one way to win in the league. So you just draft quarterback. I mean, Daniel Jones, we wouldn't even be questioning Daniel Jones 10 years ago. He would get this year and next year. By Thanksgiving, upstairs, they'll make a decision.

And so we're overdrafting quarterbacks. we're playing them sooner, we're demanding they be good, and it's tough. Unless you're like a Josh Allen talent, Lamar Jackson, I mean, Lamar Jackson, they didn't want to play them in the first year. They kind of got forced to because Flacco age and injuries. But they were going to sit Lamar Jackson, who was the MVP the next year, they were going to sit in the whole year, well-run organization. Colin, I want listening to you and seeing that chart, first of all,

that chart is extremely alarming. The unders this year are hitting big. but I think back to the NBA when the bad boy or the pistons of like the early 2000s were mucking it up and the spurs were and the finals games were like 8375 and it was unwatchable. The ratings cratered.

NBA changed the rules to allow more free flowing offense and boom, scoring takes off. How close are we to the NFL having to step in and loosen some defensive rules? Because listen, college football this past weekend had way more exciting games than the NFL. The scoring was

through the roof. USA, Utah. TCU, Oklahoma State. Every game was like super high scoring and fun. I think what will happen in the next collective bargaining agreement is that the owners and the management will say, guys, we've got to have more hitting in the offseason. Offensive line plays terrible. More of you are getting hurt.

The quarterbacks are getting hurt. And then, you know, all these negotiations are give and take and give and take. O line play in this league has gone into the tank in the last five years. I never talked about offensive lines ever when I did this show, ever. Last three years, it's a constant theme. That Charger Bronco mess was a

disaster. Both those quarterbacks running for their life on every snap. So I think that's where we are. Scoring is down big. Over a touchdown in two years. And also the big plays are drying up. College football this weekend was one big play after another.

Saturday was more entertaining than Sunday. And I haven't seen in a long time. Tennessee, Alabama, had like 50-yard plays galore. It was like, oh my gosh, what am I watching? And then, like you said, like Justin Herbert, every dropback was like at the line of scrimmage or five yards close. It was just not really

fun, you know? Yeah. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the iHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque, others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

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Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. So I'm starting to see there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Now you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast. Learn the hard way.

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Number six has already given away $1 million to Terry Bradshaw's money this NFL season, and everyone has another free chance to win 100 grand this Sunday. Download the app and enter your six picks in the NFL Sunday Challenge contest for your chance to win. Fox Bed Super Six has given away nearly $8 million to over 80,000 winners, so don't miss out. Lower scoring games. I like the underdogs again this week. I went four and one last week. I like more underdogs this week.

Are the Jets one of them? It's down a point and a half. Giants are. Yeah. Why are the giants underdogs in Jacksonville against the two and four Jags? That line's kind of interesting, is it not? So when Russell Wilson went to Denver, we looked at it and said, my prediction was, Brady went to a franchise that had talent and he'll be the catalyst. He did and he won a Super Bowl.

And then Stafford went to the Rams who needed it. upgrade, a better catalyst offense. He went and he won. And I thought, well, Russell's going to this organization. Defense is great. I don't know if the new coach will be good, but he's an offensive guy. It probably works. And they got some nice offensive pieces.

And it hasn't worked. And, of course, all of you just want to pick on me and just say, I don't know what I'm talking about. But I have said, I can't figure out how Russell Wilson can go from four good years to awful. He's 33. There's no surgeries. There's no precedent for going from this to that. If you had a student at high school and they were a minus student and they became a D minus student, you would think as a parent drugs were involved.

Like what's happening to my, A students don't go to D students unless there's chaos, drugs, a mistake, a bad teacher, there's bullying. There's got to be a catalyst for what's happening. You can't go from what Russell was to this and it's just all Russ. It makes no sense. He's 33. He's never had a major surgery. He's a workout freak.

So I believe in the big blame pie, hack it's. half of the problem. I also believe the young receivers, we've overvalued them. The rest of the roster offensively, that's it. And then I think Russell at 30% is a bit distracted, refuses to run, is trying to be a pocket quarterback, and that's not what he is. Run, dude, that's what you are. That's your secret sauce. That's your superpower. Go with it. But if your students and a student, it becomes a D student, there's got to be a catalyst in there for it. It could be a million different things. But here's something to think about, and I know most viewers of shows like this,

you know, they want to be right. But I'm looking not at the what, the why. What's the why? Well, he's washed. In the history of football, nobody went from 32 years old, B plus A minus to washed. It doesn't work that way in pro sports. No NBA players like a borderline all-star and then the worst guy on the team. It doesn't work that way.

What is it? So remember, when Brady and Stafford went to their teams, they had three things they got offensively. They got an experienced NFL coach who was considered upper echelon, a star receiver, Cooper, Cooper, Mike Evans you could depend on, 10, 12 target to game, and good offensive lines. The Bucks drafted Tristan Wirfs, who immediately became the best right tackle in football. Russell got none of those. He doesn't have an elite offensive coach or an experienced coach. The offensive line's a disaster, and he doesn't have a number one receiver. Again, you can't go from an A student to a D student.

There's got to be something in there. You know, there is no precedent from going from an All-Star or a borderline NBA All-Star to a bench player. It's either the coach, teammates, a personal crisis. And so, you know, Mark Schleris said this yesterday. I think I have overvalued Jerry, Judy, and Hans. Hamler. They also let go and know a Fant, which is not the end of the world. He's kind of a one-dimensional tight end, but he has a pretty good dimension. He can go vertical and catch. He's a big guy. And Schlera talked about the Broncos' offensive personnel and Hackett.

I had my annual physical yesterday, and my prostate exam was more pleasurable than watching the Broncos play offense. When you play offensive line, you're forced to be tough, right? Because you're going to get a mouthful on every single play. You get to choose whether to be dominant as a wide receiver. You get to choose whether you want to do the dirty work or not. You get to choose whether you want to make a great block or not. They're choosing not to. They're choosing to be soft. And from a coaching standpoint, Nathaniel Hackett, and listen, I like Nathaniel Hackett a lot, but you're either coaching that or you're allowing it to happen. It's not all Russell. Can't be. There's no precedent for it. J. Mack with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. And a quick update on Russell Wilson. We'll start there. He's dealing with a lat injury and he had an MRI on his hamstring. Now, all of a sudden, there was a lot of action in the market. The line dropped a little bit. It came off the board. But it sounds like Russ is pushing to play through the pain against the Jets Sunday.

Courage. All I see is courage. In arguably the second biggest game of the day. Now, the Jets pass rush has been dominant. Quinn and Williams is eating Russ on a bad hammy with a weak offensive line. You didn't mention the injuries, but they got like six. guys on IR. This is a tough spot for your guy, Russ. If they fall

to two and five, Colin, you could probably say no playoffs this year. I think that's fair. I think it's fair. Seattle, three and three. They ain't making the playoffs either, but the stick with the Bronco thing. All right, next up, Colin, during Monday night's win over the Broncos, I'm sure you saw

this, the Chargers benched. Their big offseason acquisition, J.C. Jackson, they gave him a billion dollars and he has been awful so far this season, Colin. Not trustable. But Brandon Saly's not throwing in the towel yet. Here's what he had to say. You know, he came here to do the job that, you know, he was designed to do.

And, you know, his performance has nothing to do with that fitting in or scheme fit, any of that. You know, he's here to do what he does best. And we need to make sure that we continue to work with him. So he's, you know, focused and consistent. And being the player we know he can be. We just need to stay patient. You know, last night, you know, wasn't up to his standard or ours. And so we felt like we had to go in a different direction.

But I'm just going to stay with him, keep coaching him, and see if we can get him comfortable. By the way, did Bill Belichick sell the chargers of bill of goods? He's never done that before, right? Real quick note on J.C. Jackson, pro football focus has graded 108 cornerbacks. J.C. Jackson so far, 107th in the league. Not idea. And finally, Colin, Russell Westbrook. You know, listen, the media scrutiny since he joined the Lakers has been kind of wild.

Fans, the media, everybody's focusing on Russell Westbrook not being in the team huddle. Kevin Durant has now chimed in because that's what he does. He has heard enough of people going after his former teammate. Kevin Durant sticking up for Russell Westbrook. I understand that at certain points where you don't play well. And people are, you are open to criticism when you don't play well. We get that. But it's, it's like now you.

You're making him to buddy your jokes now. So hopefully you just keep hooping and block all that noise out and prove everybody that, you know, they wrong about how he felt about this game and they mesh over there in L.A. The dialogue around our game was just so toxic at this point. I get criticism, but it's starting to turn into something else. That's fair.

That's why I made my addendum to my show this year. I'm not going to spend the year making Westbrook, the dartboard of this show. He is not the problem with the Lakers. He is a symptom of their organization. He should not be on this roster. They are asking him to do things he cannot do. So it's easy to blame him, but you would not ask Tom Brady to run RPO's.

So don't ask Westbrook to catch it and shoot it. That's what Clay Thompson or Bradley Beale does. That's what Buddy Heel does. So everybody's banging on Westbrook. Last year, I was all over him because he can be a very rigid personality. But that's, again, that's kind of what he is. You can ask, very rarely do you get an athlete that can do everything? Josh Allen, Shohei Otani.

Those guys are once in a 20-year period that they can literally, Josh Allen can do RPO's. He can throw deep. He can throw short. He can leap over people. Westbrook is a ball in his hands, 100 mile an hour. give you 23 points, 34 minutes. That's what he is. Remember when Josh Allen was like a 59% completion guy when he came into the league for,

I think the first two years? He sure has gotten better and improved. Pretty impressive run for Josh. I mean, one of the great quarterback transformations we've seen in the NFL. But he was also a great prospect. UCLA couldn't figure out what to do with Westbrook. Westbrook walked into this league and he was just athletic. Nobody knew what to do with him.

He's not Josh Allen as a prospect. He has worked himself into a Hall of Fame player. But he's a limited player. There are things he cannot. Dwight Howard is a back-to-the-basket center. Don't ask him to shoot threes. I mean, Dwight Howard, the minute the NBA changed, Dwight Howard evaporated.

He is what he is. A shot blocker, a rebounder, and a back-to-the-back to the basket big. Kauai Leonard came to the league, could not shoot threes. The Spurs got him a shot, doctor. He's a 40-percent three-point shooter. I like evolving players and athletes. Don't see it in Russ. All right. Jay Macklin News.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping back. The Hurd-Ly News. The voice of college football, he is feeling himself today. Joel Clatt told us that Tennessee was going to roll over Alabama. I told you your Trojans were going to get beat too. Yeah, but you know what? I told you.

What did you tell me? Jim Harbaugh is going to roll over Penn State because we continue to do this. We find things about Harbaugh. ball we don't like, and we're not acknowledging, in one year he turned the program around, he has over time developed a top five program in the country. They are a legitimate Ohio State Clemson, Georgia-Bama level team this year. Yeah, I think that every one of those teams that you mentioned have won playoff games. And so that would be their next step.

Right now, what Michigan is is what Lincoln Riley was at Oklahoma, which is like, okay, they're starting to become a really, really good team that we would. include on the top end and rightly so, but haven't done it in the playoff yet. And obviously last year, that matchup against Georgia was a tough one. But to your point, I would say this, I love, and J. Mack, you just talked about evolving players. And in my sport in college football, your program has to evolve. Right. And you've got to evolve as a coach. And maybe even at the NFL level as well. But we've seen the sport dramatically change over the last decade via rules, innovation, offensively, it has changed.

And I would just take you back, like, when you think of the 2018 and 19 Michigan Wolverines, they were really good teams that could not cut it at all against Ohio State. Couldn't cut it at all. Schematically, they were not built to face the top-end teams. They also weren't fast enough. They weren't fast enough. Any of them, like the scheme, the personnel.

Well, then Harbaugh went to work. And, yeah, they had the poor COVID year. And then all of a sudden they come back last year, and they've got a different style of defense that schematic, The architecture of that defense is way more sound against the top-end teams like Ohio State. They got faster on offense. They got faster at linebacker. They got faster at safety.

And now all of a sudden, when you look at Michigan, it's not the team that's going to get into a tussle with Penn State and then get blown out by Ohio State. They just hammered the nitty lions. And they're like, okay, we are ready and built to go in and face Ohio State. That game, at one point, it was 18 first downs to one. that is how Georgia would beat Penn State. That game wasn't nearly as close as the score. I agree. That was Bama four years ago, beating a Wisconsin.

They rushed for 400 yards on a rush defense that came into the week as the fifth-ranked rush defense in the country. So, you know, Michigan's very good. They have evolved. I think Jim evolved from a personnel standpoint, from a schematic standpoint. They're more balanced on offense. And also from a culture standpoint. It's a program that just feels much different.

It was very rigid when I first started covering him. And Colin, now you go in there. And it's just more positive. I don't know how else to explain it, but it's certainly fun to be right. I can explain it to all you Harbaugh critics in two words. Uncle Colin can explain it. Eat it. All right.

Let's move on to the next segment. Okay. Hendon Hooker, all of a sudden, I hear about three weeks ago, as guy at Tennessee, he's like 40. His name is Hendon Hooker. He's not on all these quarterback boards, and I watch him against Alabama. He should be. Pocket, big arms, accurate, throw after throw. Is that Alabama's defensive issues, or is this kid a top 10 quarterback?

I think both can be true. I think both can be true. So for me, I always look at from a quarterback perspective, can you make the layups, and then can you also go above the X's and O's? Right? So, like, you can't. See, there are times when you evaluate a quarterback and you're like, man, he just makes easy throws look hard. But then he makes hard throws look easy.

I don't want that type of guy. I want a guy that makes the layups and then makes it look easy when he's going down the field and doing things that you just can't coach. This throw that you're seeing on your screen right here, that ball traveled 55 yards in the air, which is unprecedented. That doesn't happen. Holmes doesn't do that. And the wide receiver never broke stride. Right? So, like, the talent is there, but he's also doing things just in the normal course of football.

Oh, my God, he's got a whip. The seam throws. That is a great player, a great player. And I think he absolutely is playing himself into the top 10, top five in the NFL draft. When you watch those highlights, seriously, that's a Sunday-looking quarterback. Yeah, there's only a couple of guys in college football that can even sniff that. And Stroud's one of them at Ohio State. He's got that type.

He doesn't have the elite arm talent that Hooker does. No. But those two are separating themselves out as far as the play that they have thrown out there this year. And by the way, Bryce Young didn't play poorly. That was a great quarterback battle between Bryce Young and Hendon Hooker. I think the same could be said about Caleb Williams and Cam Rising in that USC, Utah game. Those were elite performances by everybody involved and then someone had to lose at the end. You know, my theory is there's nothing wrong with Alabama.

Everybody's picking apart Alabama. Here's my theory on it. Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, Josh Heipel, Jimbo as a recruiter. What's happening is they're all stealing a recruit from Alabama, just a one or two or three. Alabama's depth isn't what it used to be. Used to be Alabama six years ago, lose a corner. They got nerd guys in the NFL. Now Alabama loses a receiver last year.

You're like, those backups are backups. I think the conference now has so many elite, young dynamic recruiters. Billy Napier is known as a great recruiter. sure Alabama when USC dominated the sport Pete was by far and away the best recruiter in the conference yeah that's true okay saving that about an eight year run when Tennessee couldn't get their act together Auburn couldn't get their act together

Florida couldn't get their act together they're all getting their act together now I see but the thing is is that they're still up there number one number two in the composite which is like the most talented teams in the country I think that this version of Alabama this year has underperformed to this point. Coaching?

I don't know if it's coaching. I think that there's something off with Alabama. I think that their past defense is not what we have seen. No. And maybe it's depth issues like you're talking about. They're also facing some great players like Hendon Hooker, and I think Ewers was great in that first quarter against Texas. I think it, let's just put it this way.

I'm not going to bet against Alabama. They can still win the SEC championship, and they can still win the national championship. I don't feel the same. The area that I actually think is hurting them the most right now, and maybe this will get fixed, I don't know. The reason that they struggle on the road over the last couple of years is actually because their offensive lines not quite as dominant

of what they have been in the past. When you look at like 2020, that was a great offensive line, Naji Harris in the backfield, they can run it and did very well against Texas A&M, but A&M was ranked 14th in the SEC stopping the run. I don't think that they control the game with their offensive line like they used to. And that's why they've struggled in some of these road

environments of the last two years. Well, I guess we don't have time to talk about USC's loss. Just joking, clats back after this. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app.

This is Steve Kavino. And Rich Davis. And together, we are Kavino and Rich. Kavino and Rich. Thanks, buddy. That's right. Kavino and Rich. Sports Radio's newest hit show. Heard weekdays from 5 to 7 Eastern 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. Every Covino & Rich show is available as a podcast.

Just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast and subscribe. I'm such a rocking dude. The show features our unique take on sports, injected with some fun, humor, and relatability. Listen to Covino and Rich five days a week on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Covino and Rich, give me a hell yeah. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment.

And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at Tickford. Talk Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now.

Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough

because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app.

Search Learn the hard way and listen now. There's a silver lining to every dark cloud. I just came up with that on my own. USC gets a buy week with two of their best players hurt. Then they get three cream puffs. Then they play UCLA. If they win it and thump ugly Notre Dame, they can face Utah again.

Or Oregon. Or Utah again, yep. the team that just beat him. I'll make a prediction right now. USC wins out in their conference and ends up in the playoff. I feel better about them today than I did before the game. I think that they're going to have to avoid some potential chaos in the SEC. What do you do with USC that's a one-lost Pac-12 champ that lost at Utah? I understand that, but what do you do if, like let me just paint the scenario here. Let me paint a scenario. Alabama wins out. There are 12.

12 and 1 SEC champ. They're in, hands down, for sure. They would beat Georgia who would come into that game undefeated, so they're 12 in 1. They beat Tennessee and they're only lost. They're 11 in 1. Yeah. Do you really trust that the playoff committee would put USC in over that Tennessee team that beat Alabama last week? Yep. I don't trust them to do that. Bottom line is the last SEC team to lose. You're out. Two SEC, Ohio State and USC. What about Clemson? Clemson might be undefeated. Clemson's going to lose.

I don't buy Clemson at all this year. Who's beating Clemson? Listen, I'm not disagreeing with you. I don't know what Clemson is, right? So I can't sit here and in good conscience tell you, oh, this is a great team. They're fixed on the offensive side. DJU is going to carry them.

The defense is fantastic. I don't know, okay? I don't think that they're great, but who's beating them in that conference? Somebody. Well, it's not going to be Syracuse this week. They're not good enough to go undefeated. All I know is.

They are. They are. They are in that conference. They are. USC, I watched that game and I thought they're playing Utah again. There is value to lose in a close one, especially when you get job by the officials in your eyes. Oh, here we go. No, I didn't say in their eyes. Oh, I see.

Well, in my eyes, too. But in a lot of eyes, USC got job. Okay, let's go to this one. Let's see here. Okay. UCLA is going to beat Oregon this week. I think so. I feel it in my bones.

I know everybody's talking upset. I'm going to take UCLA. They are six and a half point. dogs, and I don't understand that. I really don't. And the reason is, is because you can see the trend and the trajectory of this program. Listen, I think Oregon's pretty good, and they've certainly played better in particular at quarterback with Bo Nix since that game against Georgia. Having said that, they don't have, I don't think, the balance that USC does. USC is very good on defense. They can run it. They can throw it. UCLA or USC. I'm sorry, UCLA. They don't have the balance that the

Bruins have. DTR is the best quarterback in the PAC 12 right now, statistically, even better than Caleb Williams, in particular with his play in the second half, running back. He's threatening the defense with his legs, and Zach Charbonnet is the best back in the Pac-12. Again, the defense. And then check this out, the trajectory of this program. Everybody loved to take shots at Chip Kelly. Let me just defend Chip Kelly here.

He's been there since 2018, and every single season, their winning percentage went up. Yep. And when you look at what they've done on the road, which is always the toughest to do in any conference, right, is go on the road and win. his first 13 games on the road as the UCLA head coach, they were 3 and 10. Wasn't great, and I understand that. Do you know in his last seven games on the road? Guess what they are?

Seven and no. Six and one. Their only loss was at Salt Lake against Utah, which is a very tough place to play, and you just found that out last Saturday night when USC went down in that game. I think UCLA is better than people anticipate. I don't know why that line is six and a half, and I think the Bruins went out right. You and I both said this. We talked about this.

This was going to be the best team in the country that nobody was talking about because Lincoln Riley was getting so much press. He sucked all the oxygen out of the room. And we kept saying, and we weren't the only ones. There were people at other networks that know college football saying, watch out for UCLA. They got seniors all up and down the offensive line. They've got playmakers up top running back. Well, just real quick, on UCLA's behalf, nobody has controlled Utah. Since Cameron Rising became their quarterback, nobody's controlled them like UCLA.

Not Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, not USC last week and a loss for USC. Not even Florida in that loss that Utah had to start the season. Like UCLA handled that team. Only team to do that since Cameron Rising became their quarterback. Bloom out. All right, let's go to your top 10, Joel Klatt's top 10. Last week was the best college football weekend of the year. It was great.

There's a lot of potential upsets looking around. I got to tell you something. I do not see a big gap anymore for the first time in 10, 10 to 12 years. I do not think Michigan, I think Michigan can go up and play. I don't know if they can win. Well, think about it this. Think about it this way. UCLA has closed the gap on the country and the top end of their conference. Michigan has closed the gap on Ohio State. Tennessee has started to close the gap on Alabama and Georgia. Clemson is still who they are, but even Ole Miss is better. T.C., like this is a good year in college football. By the way, are you noticing

how has Tennessee close the gap? A superstar quarterback. How is UCLA closed the gap? A great quarterback. How is Michigan? He's young. He's a big time quarterback. TCU, Max Duggan, close the gap. Utah, its best quarterback in program history.

You start looking at all these teams at the top. We know the worst quarterback in that group is George's. Well, probably, I don't, you know, I mean, Stetson did, he's also the only quarterback in that group that has won an national championship. So I don't want to just throw dirt on the kid. I'm saying that. I'm saying

there's a lot of NFL quarterbacks on that list. I agree. And I will tell you this, this year in particular, when you look at the top 10, when you look at how these conferences will play out, when you look at the games last weekend, you are not winning a championship without an elite quarterback. You cannot just have a requisite quarterback this year. And so Georgia, I'm talking to you, Stetson Bennett, his play has to increase because you've got a face Hendon Hooker, you've got to face Bryce Young in your own conference, and the same can be said about J.J. McCarthy and C.J. Stroud, the same can be said in the Big 12.

The same can be said in the PAC 12 as well. You better have an elite quarterback. By the way, I said two words earlier, eat it. And I double down on those with Harbaugh. Go look at that top 10. Okay, if you don't think Harbaugh can coach, go look at this top 10. Harbaugh is the only coach in that top 10, you know, that got to a Super Bowl. That's true.

That took an academic power in Stanford to a 12-win team. Folks, that Michigan thing, they've gotten great athletes forever. Harbaugh in that top 10, if there was an NFL opening today, Harbaugh is the first guy to get a call. Well, listen, Jim Harbaugh and the sport of football has done about as much as anybody can to still be criticized as heavily as he is. I don't get it. I don't get it. Good seeing you, man. It's great seeing you. We moved you a little today. We'll move you back to the regular spot. You've got big plans today. I don't want to get in the way your chicken part for lunch. I was talking Kyle Whittingham. I was a big win over Lincoln Riley and the Trojans. There you go.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast. The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, unpack what wins. down and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.